The Dutch bass, Ruud van der Meer (actual name: is Rudolf Cornelius Adrianus van der Meer), studied music at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, which covered also a conducting and oboe playing. His singing teacher was Marja Bons. He was winner of Singing Competitions of s'Hertogenbosch, Barcelona and Toulouse.

In 1967 Ruud van der Meer made his debut as a singer in a concert with the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam. However, he was firstly employed as oboist in the Hague Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, he worked as a choir conductor and as a concert singer. Soon he became known by concerts, which he gave in his homeland Holland, in the music centres of Western Europe, in Scandinavia and in North America, as well as by his broadcasts and recordings. His concerts brought him to London and New York, to Berlin and Vienna, and Warsaw. He also appeared with great success in many festivals, including the Holland Festival, the Festival of Bregenz and the English Bach Festival. He appeared together with the well-known Dutch soprano singer Elly Ameling in London and New York in a programme of the Italian and the Spanishe Liederburch by Hugo Wolf to. He gave concerts in Moscow in 1988. In 1988 he undertook a big tour to Russia. On the concert podium he appeared in a very extensive repertoire and was characterised particularly as an outstanding Bach interpreter. However in his concerts he presented to the public many more oratorios and Lieder. He has lived in Wassenar, and since 1972 was a professor at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.

Ruud van der Meer made numerous recordings, particularly under the label of Telefunken, among them Bach Cantatas, Works of George Frideric Handel and the bass-solo in a complete recording of Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) by J.S. Bach. Additional recordings appeared on the labels CBS, Erato, Polydor, Philips and Ottavo (Lieder of Johannes Brahms).